[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19870-19876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        PETITIONS AND MEMORIALS

  The following petitions and memorials were laid before the Senate and 
were referred or ordered to lie on the table as indicated:

       POM-290. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the proposed ``Estuary 
     Habitat Restoration Partnership Act''; to the Committee on 
     Environment and Public Works.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 128

       Whereas, Louisiana's wetlands and estuaries provide 
     critical habitat and food resources for some of our nation's 
     premier recreational and commercial fisheries; and
       Whereas, Louisiana's commercial fisheries are the most 
     bountiful of those of the lower forty-eight states, providing 
     a major percentage of our nation's total catch; and
       Whereas, the citizens of this state and nation must be ever 
     vigilant in our stewardship of these vital resources; and
       Whereas, within the last fifty years, Louisiana has lost 
     forty square miles per year and has lost an estimated twenty-
     five to thirty-five square miles per year this decade. These 
     losses represent a loss of barrier islands and wetlands that 
     effect the pattern of salinity gradients in our bays, sounds, 
     and inlets which is the foundation for sustaining biological 
     productivity; and
       Whereas, United States Senator John Chaffe and United 
     States Senator John Breaux will be introducing the Estuary 
     Habitat Restoration Partnership Act to encourage the 
     restoration of America's vital estuary resources; and
       Whereas, the Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act 
     will use federal dollars to encourage and move state, local, 
     and private resources to restore one million acres of estuary 
     habitat by the year 2010.
       Therefore, be it resolved That the Legislature of Louisiana 
     does hereby memorialize the United States Congress to enact 
     the Estuary Habitat Restoration Partnership Act.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     forwarded to the presiding officers of the United States 
     Senate and United States House of Representatives and to the 
     Louisiana congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-291. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the Federal Migratory 
     Bird Conservation Act; to the Committee on Environment and 
     Public Works.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 107

       Whereas, to provide the public with the convenience of 
     increased availability of hunting and fishing licenses, many 
     states have implemented or are in the process of implementing 
     an electronic system for the issuance of hunting and fishing 
     licenses; and
       Whereas, generally those systems for the electronic 
     issuance of hunting and fishing licenses allow for the 
     issuance of all licenses and permits and stamps which are 
     required by the state; however, no system at this time has 
     the authority to include issuance of the federal duck stamp 
     through its electronic system; and
       Whereas, the authority to include issuance of the federal 
     duck stamp would enable a citizen to purchase all required 
     hunting and fishing licenses, permits, and stamps all at one 
     time, in one place, without the necessity of going to another 
     place to purchase just the federal duck stamp; and
       Whereas, legislation has been prepared which would allow 
     each state the option of devising their own system to issue, 
     recognize, and account for a temporary electronic federal 
     duck stamp until such time as the actual duck stamp is 
     received in the mail.
       Therefore; be it: Resolved, That the Louisiana Legislature 
     does hereby memorialize the United States Congress to amend 
     the Federal Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C.A. 715) 
     to authorize certain states to issue temporary federal duck 
     stamp privileges through electronic license issuance systems.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-292. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the United States-Asia 
     Environmental Partnership, the Environmental Technology 
     Network for Asia, and the Council of State Governments' State 
     Environmental Initiative; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 222

       Whereas, the United States Agency for International 
     Development established the

[[Page 19871]]

     United States-Asia Environmental Partnership to address 
     environmental degradation and sustainable development issues 
     in the Asia/Pacific region by mobilizing the environmental 
     experience, technology, and services available in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, the goals of the United States-Asia Environmental 
     Partnership are to foster and disseminate clean technology 
     and environmental management, to develop urban environmental 
     infrastructure, and to establish a policy framework to 
     sustain a ``clean revolution'' to protect the environment; 
     and
       Whereas, the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership 
     promotes the development of less-polluting and more resource-
     efficient products, processes, and services as well as 
     practical solutions to local environmental problems in the 
     Asia/Pacific region; and
       Whereas, along with its many partners, the United States-
     Asia Environmental Partnership stimulates direct technology 
     transfer, develops networks and long-term relationships, 
     disseminates information, identifies financial assistance 
     vehicles, provides grants and fellowships, and organizes 
     business and technology exchanges; and
       Whereas, the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership 
     has opened Offices of Technology Cooperation, in thirteen 
     Asian cities, staffed by experts who identify market 
     opportunities, make contacts, and advocate United States 
     environmental technology and services to Asian companies by 
     matching the problems of Asian companies with the appropriate 
     United States environmental experience and technology to 
     solve them; and
       Whereas, the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership 
     and the Global Technology Network of the United States Agency 
     for International Development established the Environmental 
     Technology Network for Asia as a clearinghouse to collect 
     environmental trade leads from the Asia/Pacific region and 
     disseminate them to United States environmental technology 
     and services firms; and
       Whereas, the Environmental Technology Network for Asia 
     assists program participants by preparing market trend 
     analyses on participating countries, providing business 
     counseling to United States environmental companies 
     interested in expanding into Asia, developing fact sheets on 
     United States technologies, and disseminating that 
     information to United States government counterparts 
     overseas; and
       Whereas, through the Environmental Technology Network for 
     Asia, the United States-Asia Environmental Partnership has 
     created over eight thousand one hundred jobs, generated over 
     four thousand trade leads, and matched those leads with two 
     thousand four hundred environmental companies in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, the Council of State Governments and the United 
     States-Asia Environmental Partnership established the State 
     Environmental Initiative, a matching grant program, to 
     encourage international partnerships in environment and 
     economic development between individual states and Asian 
     countries through the transfer of United States environmental 
     experience, technology, and practice from individual states 
     to Asian countries; and
       Whereas, the goals of the State Environmental Initiative 
     are to promote the transfer of environmental expertise and 
     technology, facilitate partnerships that link Asian needs 
     with United States environmental experience, technology, and 
     practice, and to initiate a ``clean revolution'' in Asia by 
     promoting clean technology and responsible environmental 
     management; and
       Whereas, the State Environmental Initiative fosters the 
     export of United States environmental solutions and 
     experience by matching the needs of Asian countries with 
     appropriate environmental technology and state environmental 
     regulatory experience, by informing United States 
     environmental firms about Asian opportunities, and by 
     sponsoring a matching grant program to encourage 
     international partnerships.
       Therefore; be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to continue to support and fund the United States-Asia 
     Environmental Partnership, the Environmental Technology 
     Network for Asia, and the Council of State Governments' State 
     Environmental Initiative.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-293. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the DeRidder Automated 
     Flight Service Station; to the Committee on Appropriations.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 216

       Whereas, flight service stations are general aviation air 
     traffic control facilities that are an integral part of the 
     air traffic control system and are staffed with highly 
     skilled essential government employees; and
       Whereas, flight service stations provide pilots with 
     current and forecasted whether at origination, en route, and 
     at destination, and also as necessary suggest appropriate 
     flight routes and levels and alternate routes or 
     destinations, based upon consideration of weather, operating 
     characteristics of the aircraft, navigation aids, and 
     terrain; and
       Whereas, flight service stations provide pilot briefings, 
     en route flight advisories, search and rescue services, 
     assistance to lost and distressed aircraft, relay air traffic 
     control clearances, originate notices to airmen, monitor 
     pilot reports, broadcast aviation weather information, 
     receive and process flight plans, monitor navigational aids, 
     take weather observations, issue airport advisories, and 
     advise Customs and Immigration officials of flights crossing 
     national borders; and
       Whereas, flight service stations provide up-to-the-minute 
     weather information in pilot briefings by integrating and 
     interpreting weather information from multiple sources such 
     as satellite imagery, upper air charts, and pilot weather 
     reports, to stay abreast of current weather trends; and
       Whereas, flight service stations provide en route flight 
     advisories which are timely and pertinent weather information 
     bulletins prepared by specially trained and highly skilled 
     air traffic specialists who interpret and adapt the latest 
     weather information for the type, route, and altitude of a 
     specific en route flight; and
       Whereas, flight service stations are valuable resources 
     that monitor flight plans and provide lifesaving search and 
     services by initiating a chain of events using the combined 
     efforts of several federal agencies to find aircraft that 
     become overdue; and
       Whereas, flight service stations control airspace by 
     monitoring gliders and parachute jumps and provide emergency 
     security control of air traffic when emergency conditions 
     exist which threaten national security by identifying the 
     position of all friendly air traffic and controlling the 
     density of air traffic operating in airspace critical to air 
     defense operations; and
       Whereas, flight service stations began as aviation support 
     facilities known as airway radio stations that provided local 
     weather observations and forecasts for military aircraft in 
     World War I and later for air mail aircraft; and
       Whereas, the Air Commerce Act brought airway radio stations 
     under the control of the Department of Commerce, and later 
     the Civil Aeronautics Act transferred aeronautical functions 
     from the Department of Commerce to the newly created Civil 
     Aeronautics Authority, which changed the name of the airway 
     radio station to the airway communication station; and
       Whereas, during World War II, airway communication stations 
     provided air traffic control services to military aircraft, 
     and the rapid growth of postwar aviation led to the Federal 
     Aviation Act which merged the Civil Aeronautics Authority 
     with other agencies to create the Federal Aviation Agency; 
     and
       Whereas, initially airborne pilots could only get verbatim 
     weather reports and forecasts, but in 1961 flight service 
     station personnel were trained as pilot weather briefers and 
     could summarize and interpret weather charts and reports to 
     provide pilot weather briefings aimed at reducing weather-
     related aviation accidents; and
       Whereas, after a series of fatal aviation accidents, the 
     Federal Aviation Agency was renamed the Federal Aviation 
     Administration and transferred to the Department of 
     Transportation with a focus on upgrading radar and computer 
     equipment to reduce weather-related aircraft accidents; and
       Whereas, as a result of increasing traffic loads, the 
     flight service automation system was conceived to upgrade and 
     consolidate air navigation facilities to provide better and 
     more efficient air traffic control services; and
       Whereas, in accordance with the flight service automation 
     system, the four hundred flight service stations in the 
     country have been consolidated into just over one hundred 
     automated flight service stations; and
       Whereas, it is the policy of the United States that the 
     safe operation of the airport and airway system is the 
     highest aviation priority; and
       Whereas, it is the duty of the administrator of the Federal 
     Aviation administration to implement this policy by 
     maximizing the effectiveness of the air traffic control 
     system and insuring that all air traffic control stations are 
     adequately staffed and equipped; and
       Whereas, to improve air traffic control services and 
     increase air traffic safety, congress passed the Airport and 
     Airway Improvement Act of 1982, the Aviation Safety and 
     Capacity Expansion Act of 1990, and the Air Traffic 
     Management System Performance Improvement Act of 1996; and
       Whereas, flight service station personnel are under a duty 
     to both pilots and their passengers to furnish accurate, 
     complete, and current weather information and to suggest 
     appropriate action to avoid storms and dangerous areas; and
       Whereas, flight service station personnel are responsible 
     for the consequences of placing aircraft in a position of a 
     peril by negligently furnishing inaccurate weather 
     information; and
       Whereas; because the United States has assumed the duty to 
     provide weather information to aircraft for the protection of 
     air travelers, it can be held liable under the Federal

[[Page 19872]]

     Tort Claims Act for the negligence of flight service station 
     personnel who provide inaccurate information to aircraft that 
     rely on it to their detriment; and
       Whereas; all of the flight service stations in Louisiana 
     have been consolidated into the DeRidder Automated Flight 
     Service Station, thus making its personnel responsible for 
     all of general aviation in the state; and
       Whereas; adequate staffing of the DeRidder Automated Flight 
     Service Station is critical to providing general aviation 
     aircraft in Louisiana essential information for safe and 
     secure air travel; and
       Whereas; the DeRidder Automated Flight Service Station 
     often services the entire state with only three or four air 
     traffic control specialists to cover five operational 
     positions; and
       Whereas; due to the staffing situation, the supervisor of 
     the DeRidder Automated Flight Service Station will often have 
     to eliminate the recorded daily broadcast of general weather 
     information for pilots and the display of critical weather 
     information used by pilot weather briefers; and
       Whereas; additional experienced personnel have not been 
     provided to alleviate the shortage, and the current staff 
     will soon begin spending more time training the new employees 
     that are being hired to replace those that are leaving; and
       Whereas; when air traffic becomes too great for the staff, 
     the operational procedure is to transfer calls to another 
     automated flight service station, which results in degraded 
     services to the pilots because the pilot weather briefers 
     taking the transferred calls are not area rated for the state 
     of Louisiana; and
       Whereas; this degradation of air traffic control services 
     could pose a serious safety risk to the flying public because 
     it weakens a critical link that pilots need to assess weather 
     conditions along their flight route; and
       Whereas; considering that approximately half of all general 
     aviation aircraft accidents are weather-related, and that 
     Louisiana has the highest level of helicopter travel in the 
     nation, general aviation air travelers cannot afford to rely 
     on degraded air traffic control services.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to take such actions as are necessary to adequately fund and 
     staff the DeRidder Automated Flight Service Station.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-294. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the U.S. Geological 
     Survey's water resource programs; to the Committee on 
     Appropriations.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 185

       Whereas, water, in the form of floods, is a major natural 
     hazard to our country's people, property, and environment, 
     and the United States Geological Survey, the USGS, has long 
     been the source nationwide for reliable and accurate water 
     resources data of importance to many people who make critical 
     decisions daily which affect public health and safety; and
       Whereas, with our ever-increasing population and 
     urbanization, there is a growing need to develop programs, 
     plans, and facilities to mitigate the effects of flooding 
     throughout the country; and
       Whereas, the most accurate and universally used source of 
     water resources data is the USGS and the stream-gauging 
     network they have set up and operated across the country over 
     the period of several decades, which stream-gauging network 
     collects real-time river stage and discharge data which is 
     transmitted by satellite from more than 4,200 USGS stream-
     gauging stations to various federal agencies such as the 
     National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
     and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where it is used 
     to make critical decisions for which inaccurate or inadequate 
     data would have a devastating impact; and
       Whereas, the USGS budget for Fiscal Year 2000 anticipates a 
     ten percent reduction in the Federal-State Cooperative 
     program, within which several Louisiana state departments and 
     local agencies participate, a $2.5 million decrease for the 
     Clean Water Action Plan, and a four percent reduction in the 
     Hydrologic Network and Analysis Program; and
       Whereas, these are all critical programs to the accuracy 
     and adequacy of water resources data across the country, and 
     particularly in the state of Louisiana where water is such a 
     large part of our lives, our public planning process, and 
     where river stage and discharge information are of critical 
     importance to the preservation of life, property, and water 
     quality, all at a time when the need for streamflow data is 
     increasing rather than decreasing.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved by the House of Representatives 
     of the Louisiana Legislature, the Senate thereof concurring, 
     That the United States Congress is hereby memorialized to 
     restore budget cuts to the Fiscal Year 2000 budget for the 
     U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Programs and 
     particularly its State-Federal Cooperative program.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     forwarded to each member of the Louisiana delegation and to 
     the presiding officer of each house of the United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-295. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the installation of 
     lighting on Interstate Highway 10 and Interstate Highway 310 
     in the vicinity of the intersection of Jefferson Parish, 
     Louisiana and St. Charles, Parish Louisiana; to the Committee 
     on Appropriations.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 56

       Whereas, presently there are no lights on Interstate 
     Highway 10 and Interstate Highway 310 at the intersection of 
     Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, and St. Charles Parish, 
     Louisiana; and
       Whereas, this major Interstate interchange is in very close 
     proximity to the New Orleans International Airport; and
       Whereas, a person's vision is sharply reduced at night; and
       Whereas, the absence of any highway lighting presents a 
     very real safety issue for the New Orleans International 
     Airport; and
       Whereas, pilots are unable to properly identify this major 
     intersection and entrance to the metropolitan New Orleans 
     area due to lack of roadway lighting; and
       Whereas, lighting would provide pilots with an orderly and 
     predictable landmark outlining where the interchange occurs; 
     and
       Whereas, such visual landmark would be an enhancement to 
     both pilots and motorists alike.
       Therefore, be it Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to appropriate sufficient funds to install lighting on 
     Interstate Highway 10 and Interstate Highway 310 in the 
     vicinity of the intersection of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, 
     and St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-296. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the storage and 
     transportation of hazardous materials; to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 134

       Whereas, Louisiana has more than twenty-five percent of the 
     chemical manufacturing and processing plants in the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, this large concentration of chemical plants in 
     this state result in many toxic and hazardous chemicals to be 
     transported and stored in rail cars that are in close 
     proximity to residential areas, schools, and churches; and
       Whereas, accidents resulting in leaks and discharges of 
     toxic and hazardous chemicals occur in the rail yards, due in 
     part to the length of time that rail cars are allowed to stay 
     in rail yards; and
       Whereas, this proximity to residential areas, schools, and 
     churches creates an unusual and exceptional risk to those 
     persons, which federal laws and regulations do not adequately 
     address; and
       Whereas, there is a special need in Louisiana to enact more 
     stringent laws and regulations to protect the health, safety, 
     and welfare of the citizens who live and attend schools and 
     churches in close proximity to rail cars that store and 
     transport hazardous materials.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the Congress of the United 
     States to enact legislation which allows Louisiana to impose 
     requirements on the storage and transportation of hazardous 
     materials by rail car that are more stringent than federal 
     requirements.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution by 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the United States 
     Senate and United States House of Representatives and to each 
     member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-297. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the proposed 
     ``Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999''; to the 
     Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 159

       Whereas, the United States owns valuable mineral resources 
     that are located both onshore and in the Federal Outer 
     Continental Shelf, and the federal government develops the 
     resources for the benefit of the nation, under certain 
     restrictions designed to prevent environmental damage and 
     other adverse impacts; and
       Whereas, the development of the resources is accompanied by 
     unavoidable environmental impacts and public service impacts 
     in the states that host this development; and
       Whereas, certain local economies of the state of Louisiana 
     have been devastated by the recent crisis affecting oil 
     production and pricing; and

[[Page 19873]]

       Whereas, United States Senators Landrieu and Breaux and 
     United States Representatives John, Tauzin, McCrery, 
     Jefferson, and Cooksey are sponsoring the Conservation and 
     Reinvestment Act of 1999 in the 106th Congress of the United 
     states which is designed to provide relief to these 
     devastated local economies.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does memorialize the United States Congress to 
     support the efforts of Senators Landrieu and Breaux and 
     Representatives John, Tauzin, McCrery, Jefferson, and Cooksey 
     to enact the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 which 
     will aid the local economies devastated by the oil crisis.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation
                                  ____

       POM-298. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to school bus drivers who 
     own their own buses and are contract employees of a school 
     system; to the Committee on Finance.

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 98

       Whereas, many school systems around the nation, including 
     several here in Louisiana, depend upon contracts with 
     independent school bus drivers who own their own school buses 
     to provide the necessary transportation of students to and 
     from school; and
       Whereas, the current federal tax code does not provide for 
     school bus drivers who own their own school buses to itemize 
     their operational expenses and not pay income tax on 
     reimbursement for these expenses; rather, current federal tax 
     code requires independent owners to pay income taxes on 
     operational expense reimbursement; and
       Whereas, in the past, such operational expenses were not 
     taxed and school systems issued contract drivers a W2 form 
     and a separate operational expense form and taxes were not 
     deducted from operational expense reimbursement payments, but 
     recent changes in the federal tax code have increased the 
     financial burden on school bus drivers who own their own 
     school bus, thereby making it increasingly difficult for 
     school systems to find qualified, dependable drivers to 
     safely transport children to and from school; and
       Whereas, the reinstatement of such federal taxation 
     procedures would impact the safety of school children and the 
     efficacy of our school systems both in Louisiana and across 
     the nation.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the legislature of 
     Louisiana does memorialize the United States Congress to take 
     appropriate steps, including enacting legislation, necessary 
     to provide that operational expense reimbursement for school 
     bus drivers who own their own buses will be exempt from 
     federal income taxes.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the President of the United States, to the 
     Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to 
     each member of the Louisiana congressional delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-299. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to Social Security; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 342

       Whereas, recipients of Social Security and other government 
     benefits often must consider their financial status and 
     possible loss of benefits when deciding whether to marry; and
       Whereas, although a recipient is allowed to keep his own 
     Social Security benefits from his work history when he 
     marries, if his first spouse dies and he remarries before he 
     turns sixty years of age, he loses any benefits due on his 
     first spouse's work record; and
       Whereas, if a recipient is receiving Social Security 
     benefits as a divorced spouse and remarries at any age, he 
     loses benefits on the first spouse's work record; and
       Whereas, if a recipient receives an annuity from a divorced 
     or deceased spouse's civil service pension, he may lose such 
     benefits forever if he remarries before age fifty-five; and
       Whereas, under certain plans, a recipient receiving 
     Supplemental Security Income can lose benefits if he 
     remarries; and
       Whereas, the government should encourage the institution of 
     marriage rather than penalize citizens who choose to remarry.
       Therefore, be it Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize congress to take measures 
     which would allow recipients of Social Security benefits and 
     other government benefits to marry or remarry without the 
     fear of losing or experiencing a reduction in such benefits 
     or other adverse financial consequences.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-300. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to Social Security; to the 
     Committee on Finance.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 284

       Whereas, the term ``notch'' refers to the difference 
     between social security benefits paid to people born between 
     1917 and 1921, and those paid to people born before and after 
     that time; and
       Whereas, the ``notch'' is not a plan to give some people 
     less social security than they are due but rather the result 
     of a mistake in the social security benefit formula; and
       Whereas, people born between 1910 and 1916 are getting more 
     benefits than the ``notchers'' due to a windfall caused by 
     the mistake in the benefit formula; and
       Whereas, therefore, the ``notchers'' are receiving less 
     benefits each year than their counterparts through no fault 
     of their own and deserve to be compensated on an equal 
     footing with the citizens born between 1910 and 1916; and
       Whereas, since 1981, at least 113 bills to redress the 
     discrepancy in retiree benefits due to the ``notch'' have 
     been filed in the United States Congress; and
       Whereas, a plan to compensate the ``notchers'' would not 
     put an undue burden on the government as it would only apply 
     to retirees born between 1917 and 1921.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to allow people born between 1917 and 1921 to receive the 
     same social security benefits as those persons born between 
     1910 and 1916.
       Be It further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-301. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the right of state and 
     local governments to operate pension plans for their 
     employees; to the Committee on Finance.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 197

       Whereas, most Louisiana state and local government 
     employees have been provided pension plans as a substitute 
     for mandatory participation in the federal social security 
     system; and
       Whereas, these plans cover hundreds of thousands of 
     different state and local government employees, including 
     employees of school districts, police officers, firefighters, 
     faculty at institutions of higher education, employees of 
     municipalities, as well as thousands of benefit recipients; 
     and
       Whereas, Louisiana's state and local government employee 
     pension plans have been carefully developed with the 
     cooperation of the Legislature of Louisiana, employers, and 
     employees to meet the unique needs of such public employees 
     at a reasonable cost; and
       Whereas; these pensions plans are being funded on an 
     actuarial basis and the monies in such plans have been 
     appropriately and successfully invested in diversified 
     investments in accordance with modern portfolio theory; and
       Whereas; state and local government employees in Louisiana 
     are covered by many different, separate retirement plans, 
     including statewide plans, local plans, defined benefit 
     plans, and defined contribution plans, all of which meet 
     applicable federal standards; and
       Whereas, Louisiana fire, police, and state trooper pension 
     plans offer benefits that are designed to address the 
     physical demands and high risks inherent in pubic safety work 
     and that are not available through the federal social 
     security system, including lower retirement ages and 
     comprehensive death and disability benefits; and
       Whereas, it is anticipated that federal legislation will be 
     introduced that would include a requirement that state and 
     local government employees hired after a certain date 
     participate in the federal social security system; and
       Whereas, current estimates published by the federal 
     Governmental Accounting Office indicate that participation by 
     state and local government employees in the federal social 
     security system would extend the solvency of the applicable 
     trust funds by only two years, after which time benefits 
     payable to retiring state and local government employees 
     would cause a depletion of monies in those trust funds; and
       Whereas, the lack of mandatory participation in the federal 
     social security system by state and local government 
     employees in Louisiana has not been a cause of financial 
     problems affecting that system, and Louisiana state and local 
     government employees receive no special or unfair benefits 
     from that system; and
       Whereas, if participation in the federal social security 
     system is mandated for Louisiana state and local government 
     employees, then integrating the federal system with existing 
     state and local pension plans would be an extremely complex 
     process that is likely to result in the loss of some benefits 
     to Louisiana state and local government employees; and
       Whereas, a federal mandate that Louisiana state and local 
     government employees participate in the federal social 
     security system may not only threaten the integrity of the 
     existing pension plans for such employees, but it may also 
     affect the public safety and general welfare of the citizens 
     of Louisiana.
       Therefore, be it Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize

[[Page 19874]]

     the Congress of the United States to preserve the right of 
     state and local governments to operate pension plans for 
     their employees in place of the federal social security 
     system, and to develop legislation for responsible reform of 
     the federal social security system that does not include 
     mandatory participation by employees of state and local 
     governments.
       Be it further Resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the United States 
     Senate and the United States House of Representatives and to 
     each member of Louisiana's delegation to the United States 
     Congress.
                                  ____

       POM-302. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to acute health care 
     services in Algiers, Louisiana; to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 343

       Whereas, Tenet Louisiana Healthsystem (Tenet) recently 
     closed JoEllen Smith Medical Center (JoEllen Smith), twenty-
     four-year-old Algiers, Louisiana, hospital, on May 31, 1999; 
     and
       Whereas, before JoEllen Smith ever existed, the residents 
     of Algiers always had excellent acute care services through 
     Dr. LaRocca's emergency clinic, which Algiers relied on to 
     stabilize patients before they were transported to one of the 
     area hospitals, the combination ensuring a continuum of 
     excellent medical care; and
       Whereas, in 1975, JoEllen Smith Memorial Hospital opened, 
     bringing emergency services and inpatient care to the Algiers 
     community all in one location; and
       Whereas, at the time JoEllen Smith opened its doors, the 
     Algiers community welcomed and embraced the hospital by 
     volunteering time and effort to support JoEllen Smith as its 
     very own community hospital, helping to recruit a strong 
     patient base, and loyalty and enthusiasm from the people of 
     Algiers; and
       Whereas, in 1980, National Medical Enterprises acquired Jo 
     Ellen Smith; and
       Whereas, in 1984, the citizens of Algiers witnessed the 
     opening of the two-hundred-bed Meadowcrest Hospital by 
     National Medical Enterprises (which changed its name to 
     Tenet) in Gretna, Louisiana, with the help of federal money, 
     even though there was never a market for two hospitals in the 
     area; and
       Whereas, eventually, as federal dollars ran dry, National 
     Medical Enterprise began discontinuing vital medical services 
     at JoEllen Smith such as obstetric and gynecological, and 
     more severely, cardiac, and acute care services, and 
     transferring such services, as well as money, efforts, and 
     leadership toward the buildup of Meadowcrest Hospital; and
       Whereas, JoEllen Smith was supported by a very loyal, 
     robust Algiers patient base in an area with over sixty 
     thousand residents; and
       Whereas, ironically, the Algiers community began with an 
     emergency clinic which later developed into a full service 
     hospital, and now the community is left with neither, both 
     facilities being brought down by greed; and
       Whereas, twenty-four years later, the residents of Algiers 
     desperately need acute care services just as JoEllen Smith 
     needed the support of the Algiers community twenty-four years 
     earlier.
       Therefore, be it: Resolves, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to take what measures are possible on the federal level to 
     ensure that the Algiers community will not be deprived of 
     accessible acute care services.
       Be it further resolved, That the United States Congress is 
     requested to urge Tenet Louisiana Healthsystem to cooperate 
     with any potential procurers of the site of JoEllen Smith 
     Medical Center to facilitate future acute care services for 
     the residents of Algiers at that site.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution 
     shall be transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate 
     and the House of Representatives of the United States 
     Congress and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-303. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to a recent article in the 
     Bulletin published by the American Psychological Association; 
     to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

                  House Concurrent Resolution, No. 215

       Whereas, the Psychological Bulletin recently published an 
     article which claims that studies on sexual relationships 
     between adults and children suggests that such relationships 
     do not in general provide intensely negative effects in the 
     vast majority of cases, particularly when the sex is 
     consensual; and
       Whereas, the study further suggests that child sexual abuse 
     does not cause intense harm on a pervasive basis in the 
     population studied, and that child sexual abuse has no 
     inevitable or inbuilt outcome or set of emotional results; 
     and
       Whereas, the authors of the study also suggests that sexual 
     relations between a child and an adult, if the child had a 
     ``willing encounter with a positive reaction'' might be 
     classified for later research not as sexual abuse but as 
     ``adult-child sex''; and
       Whereas, the views expressed in this study defy common 
     sense, are contrary to the experience of professionals who 
     work in the child welfare field, and are contradicted by the 
     views of prominent researchers in the field of child sex 
     abuse; and
       Whereas, most experts believe that sexually abused children 
     are at increased risk for such negative clinical conditions 
     as depression, vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse, sex 
     with other children, low self-esteem, guilt, shame, an 
     inability to distinguish sex from love, and a higher risk of 
     suicide; and
       Whereas, pedophilia is harmful to the family unit which is 
     the foundation of our society; and
       Whereas, the reality is that so-called consensual sexual 
     relationships between adults and children are always harmful; 
     and
       Whereas, this reality is reflected in numerous laws enacted 
     by the Legislature of Louisiana, including child abuse laws 
     and criminal laws which forbid the sexual exploitation of 
     children in this way; and
       Whereas, the American Psychological Association study 
     threatens to legitimize the sexual exploitation of children 
     in the minds of potential pedophiles by providing them with a 
     rationale for this reprehensible behavior.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana condemns and rejects all claims in the 
     aforementioned study which suggest that pedophilia does not 
     produce pervasive and intensely negative effects on the vast 
     majority of children, and the legislature further rejects any 
     suggestion in the study that sexual relations between adults 
     and children are anything but abusive, destructive, 
     explosive, reprehensible, and against the law; and
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution 
     shall be transmitted to the Honorable Bill Clinton, President 
     of the United States, the Honorable Al Gore, Jr., Vice 
     President of the United States and President of the U.S. 
     Senate, the Honorable Trent Lott, Majority Leader of the U.S. 
     Senate, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the U.S. 
     House of Representatives, the Honorable Mary Landrieu and the 
     Honorable John Breaux, U.S. Senators from Louisiana, the 
     Honorable Mike Foster, Governor of Louisiana, the Honorable 
     Madeline Bagneris, Secretary of the Department of Social 
     Services, and Thomas DeWalt, Executive Officer of the 
     American Psychological Association.
                                  ____

       POM-304. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the appellate 
     jurisdiction of the federal courts regarding partial-birth 
     abortions; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 257

       Whereas, Louisiana is one of twenty-five states which has 
     recently prohibited the specific medical procedure termed 
     ``partial-birth abortions''; and
       Whereas, numerous other states are working this legislative 
     session to enact the same ban; and
       Whereas, federal district courts have thus far struck down 
     laws in seventeen different states, effectively declaring 
     that partial-birth abortions cannot be banned; and
       Whereas, this intrusion of the federal courts into these 
     state decisions concerning this medical procedure can be 
     remedied only by federal congressional action to limit the 
     jurisdiction of these federal courts; and
       Whereas, the United States Constitution does not create or 
     regulate these inferior federal courts, but instead 
     explicitly gives congress the power to do so; and
       Whereas, the U.S. Constitution makes the jurisdiction of 
     the federal courts subject to congressional proscription 
     through Article III, Section 2, Para. 2, by declaring that 
     federal courts ``shall have appellate jurisdiction both as to 
     law and fact with such exceptions and under such regulations 
     as congress shall make''; and
       Whereas, the intent of the framers of our documents was 
     clear on this power of congress, such as when Samuel Chase (a 
     signer of the Declaration of Independence and a U.S. Supreme 
     Court Justice appointed by President George Washington) 
     declared, ``The notion has frequently been entertained that 
     the federal courts derive their judicial power immediately 
     from the constitution; but the political truth is that the 
     disposal of the judicial power (except in a few specified 
     instances) belongs to Congress. If Congress has given the 
     power to this court, we possess it, not otherwise''; and
       Whereas, Justice Joseph Story, in his authoritative 
     Commentaries on the Construction, similarly declares, ``In 
     all cases where the judicial power of the United States is to 
     be exercised, it is for Congress alone to furnish the rules 
     of proceeding, to direct the process, to declare the nature 
     and effect of the process, and the mode, in which the 
     judgments, consequent thereon, shall be executed . . .  And 
     if Congress may confer power, they may repeal it . . . [The 
     power of Congress [is] complete to make exceptions'']; and
       Whereas, this position is confirmed not only by the signers 
     of the Constitution themselves, such as George Washington and 
     James Madison, but also by other leading constitutional 
     experts and jurists of the day, including Chief Justice John 
     Rutledge, Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth, Chief Justice John 
     Marshall, Richard Henry Lee, Robert Yates, George Mason, and 
     John Randolph; and

[[Page 19875]]

       Whereas, the United States Supreme Court has long 
     recognized and affirmed this power of congress, to limit the 
     appellate jurisdiction of the federal courts, as in 1847 when 
     the court declared that the ``court possesses no appellate 
     power in any case unless conferred upon it by act of 
     Congress'' and in 1865 when it declared ``it is for Congress 
     to determine how far . . . . appellate jurisdiction shall be 
     given; and when conferred, it can be exercised only to the 
     extent and in the manner prescribed by law''; and
       Whereas, congress has on numerous occasions exercised this 
     power to limit the jurisdiction of federal courts, and the 
     Supreme Court has consistently upheld this power of congress 
     in rulings over the last two centuries, including cases in 
     1847, 1866, 1868, 1876, 1878, 1882, 1893, 1898, 1901, 1904, 
     1906, 1908, 1910, 1922, 1926, 1948, 1952, 1966, 1973, 1977, 
     etc; and
       Whereas, it is congress alone which can remedy this current 
     crisis and return to the states the power to make their own 
     decisions on partial-birth abortions by excepting this issue 
     from the appellate jurisdiction of the federal courts.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana respectfully appeals to the Congress of these 
     United States to limit the appellate jurisdiction of the 
     federal courts regarding the specific medical practice of 
     partial-birth abortions.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     sent to the Speaker of the United States House of 
     Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, 
     and the Chief Clerical Officers of the United States House of 
     Representatives and the United States Senate.
                                  ____

       POM-305. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the Mississippi River 
     Gulf Outlet; to the Committee on Environment and Public 
     Works.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 266

       Whereas, the construction and opening of the Mississippi 
     River Gulf Outlet (``Mr. Go'') in 1963 destroyed a 475-foot 
     wide, 37 mile long strip of wetlands and swamps in St. 
     Bernard Parish, and the channel has been further widened to 
     two thousand feet through years of ship traffic wakes eating 
     away at the banks of the channel; and
       Whereas, because there are no longer natural levees formed 
     by winding bayous, water from the Gulf of Mexico moves 
     straight up ``Mr. Go'' unimpeded as though it were a 
     superhighway for storm surges caused by hurricanes and other 
     less severe storms, and such influx of water results in 
     increased flooding in St. Bernard Parish, Orleans Parish, and 
     Plaquemines Parish; and
       Whereas, because of the destruction of wetlands and marshes 
     resultant from the construction of the Mississippi River Gulf 
     Outlet, there is increased saltwater intrusion which, in 
     turn, has resulted in increased destruction of marshes and 
     freshwater swamps surrounding Lake Borgne; and
       Whereas, because of the saltwater intrusion, the hydrology 
     and animal and plant life of the Lake Pontchartrain and 
     Breton Sound basins have been dramatically altered, ``dead 
     zones'' have been created, and seafood yields have been 
     drastically reduced; and
       Whereas, hurricane impact in addition to the impact from 
     ``Mr. Go'' make Plaquemines, Orleans, and St. Bernard 
     parishes particularly vulnerable to severe hurricane damage 
     and tropical storms and, in fact, tidal surges have already 
     been measured at speeds of over 18 feet per second; and
       Whereas, the increased costs of maintaining the channel, 
     including $35 million spent to dredge the channel after 
     Hurricane Georges swept tons of silt into the channel which 
     blocked the channel to larger ships, an anticipated $7 to $10 
     million needed each year to maintain the channel, and an 
     anticipated expenditure of another $35 million to rock the 
     north face of the channel, are hardly worth the benefit 
     received by the approximately two ships per day which use the 
     Mississippi River Gulf Outlet; and
       Whereas, because of the continued and increased 
     deterioration of the channel and its detrimental impact on 
     the state's wetlands and coastal zone, the state of 
     Louisiana's coastal restoration plan, Coast 2050, calls for 
     the phasing out of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet:
       Therefore, be it Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the U.S. Congress to 
     appoint a task force to develop a process and plan for the 
     timely closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.
       Be it further resolved, That the task force consist of a 
     policy committee and a technical advisory committee and that, 
     within the next twelve months, the task force design and 
     develop a program to phase out the Mississippi River Gulf 
     Outlet with a focus on public safety; maintenance of the 
     economic viability of the St. Bernard Port; and mitigation, 
     preservation, protection, and restoration of wetlands and 
     wetlands habitat.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     sent to the presiding officers of the Senate and House of 
     Representatives of the United States Congress, to each member 
     of the Louisiana congressional delegation, and to the U.S. 
     Army Corps of Engineers.
                                  ____

       POM-306. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to military service 
     personnel under the age of twenty-one; to the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 157

       Whereas, under the direction of President Slobodan 
     Milosevic, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has repeatedly 
     violated United Nations Security Council resolutions by 
     ordering the unrestrained assault by Yugoslav military, 
     police, and paramilitary forces on Kosovar civilians, thereby 
     creating a massive humanitarian catastrophe which also 
     threatens to destablize the surrounding region; and
       Whereas, hundreds of thousands of people have been 
     ruthlessly expelled from Kosovo by the indiscriminate use of 
     force and stripped of their identity and dignity by the 
     Yugoslav government which is responsible for the appalling 
     violations of human rights; and
       Whereas, the repression and humanitarian atrocities 
     supported by the Yugoslav government have escalated the 
     conflict between Serbian military and ethnic Albanian forces 
     in Kosovo; and
       Whereas, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an 
     alliance based on political and military cooperation of 
     independent countries that are committed to safeguarding the 
     freedom, common heritage, and civilization of their peoples; 
     and
       Whereas, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has 
     transformed its political and military structures to enable 
     it to participate in the development of cooperative security 
     structures for the whole of Europe and peacekeeping/crisis 
     management tasks undertaken in cooperation with countries 
     which are not members of the alliance; and
       Whereas, the crisis in Kosovo respresents a fundamental 
     challenge to the principles of democracy, individual liberty, 
     human rights, and the rule of law, for which the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization has stood since its foundation 
     fifty years ago; and
       Whereas, on March 24, 1999, in response to the deepening 
     humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Kosovo as Yugoslav military 
     and security forces continued their attacks on their own 
     people, the combined military forces of the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization began an air combat operation, Operation 
     Allied Force, to force the Milosevic regime to withdraw its 
     forces and facilitate the return of refugees to their homes; 
     and
       Whereas, the purpose of Operation Allied Force is to 
     disrupt, degrade, and destroy the Yugoslav military and 
     security forces in order to deter and prevent further 
     military actions against innocent civilians until President 
     Milosevic complies with the demands of the international 
     community; and
       Whereas, despite continuous air bombing campaigns, 
     President Milosevic has refused to change his oppressive and 
     criminally irresponsible policy of ethnic cleansing and 
     rejected a political agreement that would bring peace and 
     stability to that region of Europe; and
       Whereas, as a result of President Milosevic's continued 
     refusal to cease the oppression of the Kosovar civilians, the 
     leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are meeting 
     to discuss the possibility of expanding Operation Allied 
     Force by sending military ground troops to continue the fight 
     against Yugoslav military and security forces; and
       Whereas, sending military ground troops to fight against 
     Yugoslav military and security forces increases the 
     possibility that young American soldiers will be injured or 
     killed and become casualties of war; and
       Whereas, as long as there are restrictions and 
     discrimination and the encouragement and enticement for 
     restrictions and discrimination based on age perpetuated by 
     the federal government and sustained by state governments on 
     persons aged eighteen through twenty years, such persons 
     should not be sent to participate in any combat operations 
     until such restrictions and discrimination and the enticement 
     and encouragement therefor cease to exist; and
       Whereas, the young men and women of the United States armed 
     forces are the future military leaders of our nation.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to take such actions as are necessary to ensure that United 
     States military service personnel under the age of twenty-one 
     are not sent to participate in any compact operations carried 
     out by ground troops in Yugoslavia.
       Be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the presiding officers of the Senate and the 
     House of Representatives of the Congress of the United States 
     of America and to each member of the Louisiana congressional 
     delegation.
                                  ____

       POM-307. A concurrent resolution adopted by the Legislature 
     of the State of Louisiana relative to the compensation of 
     retired military personnel; to the Committee on Armed 
     Services.

                  House Concurrent Resolution No. 205

       Whereas, many American servicemen and women have dedicated 
     their careers to protect the rights and privileges that the 
     public at large enjoys and, in doing so, many also endured 
     hardships, privation, the threat of death or disability, and 
     long separations from their families; and

[[Page 19876]]

       Whereas, career military personnel earn retirement benefits 
     based on longevity, which requires a minimum of twenty years 
     honorable and faithful service at the time of retirement and, 
     by contrast, veterans' disability compensation requires a 
     minimum of ninety days active duty service and is intended to 
     compensate for pain, suffering, disfigurement, chemical-
     related injuries, wounds, and loss of earnings capacity; and
       Whereas, military personnel contribute toward their 
     retirement pay with employee contributions which reduces 
     their congress-approved base pay which some assert is lower 
     than their civilian counterparts and which is paid based on a 
     life and career of hardship, long hours without overtime pay 
     and lack of freedom of expression through employee unions; 
     and
       Whereas, integral to the success of the nation's military 
     forces are those soldiers and sailors who have made a career 
     of defending our great country in peace and war from the 
     revolutionary war to present day but, notwithstanding that 
     fact, there exists a gross inequity in the federal statutes 
     that denies disabled career military personnel equal rights 
     to receive veterans' disability compensation concurrent with 
     receipt of earned military retired pay; and
       Whereas, veterans who are both retired and disabled are 
     denied concurrent receipt of full retirement pay and 
     disability pay, but instead may receive one or the other or 
     must have deducted from their retirement pay an amount equal 
     to the disability compensation being received by such 
     veterans, and no such deduction applies to federal civil 
     service so that a disabled veteran who has held a nonmilitary 
     federal job for the requisite duration receives full 
     longevity pay undiminished by the subtraction of disability 
     compensation pay; and
       Whereas, this injustice and discrimination can only be 
     corrected by legislation which, if enacted into law, will 
     ensure that America's commitment to a strong military in 
     pursuit of national and international goals is a reflection 
     of the allegiance of those who sacrifice on behalf of those 
     goals.
       Therefore, be it: Resolved, That the Legislature of 
     Louisiana does hereby memorialize the United States Congress 
     to amend the United States Code, Chapter 71, relating to the 
     compensation of retired military personnel, to permit full, 
     concurrent receipt of military longevity pay and service-
     connected disability compensation pay.
       Be it further resolved, That copies of this Resolution be 
     transmitted to the president of the United States, to the 
     speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to the 
     president of the United States Senate, and to the members of 
     the Louisiana congressional delegation that they may be 
     apprised of the sense of the Legislature of Louisiana in this 
     matter.
                                  ____

       POM-308. A resolution adopted by the Georgia Association of 
     Black Elected Officials relative to a pending federal 
     criminal investigation; to the Committee on the Judiciary.

                          ____________________